L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 Dining date: 10/15/12 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon was on my list of Tokyo restaurants early on, largely because I’ve had fairly consistently good meals here, but also because I think it’s been fun to compare them across the world (I’ve been to the Las Vegas, Paris,…
Patina 141 S Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 8/23/12 Patina is one of those restaurants that seems like it’s been around forever and always will be. I first ate here on my 21st birthday; I don’t remember much specifically but I remember it being a good meal. Even though I’ve lived within…
Melisse “Foie for All” 1104 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 Dining date: 6/30/12 June 30 was the last day to legally serve foie gras in California (although some loopholes do exist). Melisse has been at the forefront against the ban and, combined with the fact that it’s one of the best restaurants in the city,…
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon 13-15 West Street London WC2H 9NE Dining date: 5/25/12 I arrived in London pretty early on a Friday morning upon the completion of a red-eye flight from Mumbai. One of my friends was working and another would be arriving later in the morning, so I was on my own for lunch….
LudoBites: Best of Foie Gras Gram & Papa’s 227 E 9th St Los Angeles, CA 90015 Dining date: 4/18/12 If there are two ingredients with which I’ve had the most fond LudoBites memories, it might be foie gras and chicken. I’m not counting on a “Best of Chicken” night anytime soon (but I’d love to…
Lucques 8474 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90069 Dining date: 1/31/12 Lucques is Suzanne Goin’s first restaurant (opened in 1998), located in West Hollywood. The menu is seasonal and market-driven; every restaurant claims to be doing that nowadays but Goin was doing it before it become so cool. It’s probably attributable to her background at…
Atelier Crenn 3127 Fillmore St San Francisco, CA 94123 Dining date: 12/23/11 Atelier Crenn opened almost one year ago, last January. It was a hotly anticipated opening and seems to have met the hype, regarded as one of the top restaurant openings of the year (and awarded a Michelin star). The chef is Dominique Crenn,…
The French Laundry 6640 Washington Street Yountville, CA 94599 Dining date: 11/27/11 Each year, my dad takes my grandmother and aunt out for their birthdays, usually in December. The food has always been good, with past years being at The Dining Room, Cyrus, Murray Circle, Quince and Masa’s. However, it’s never been this good. I…